All You Need to Know About Java 22

Released in March of 2024, the latest addition in the Java programming language family, Java 22, continues to build on the robust features and improvements introduced in previous versions, focusing on enhancing performance, security and developer productivity. In this article, Bocasay, our offshore IT agency based in Vietnam, provides an overview of new features and functionalities you can expect from Java’s brand new version.

Java’s journey from a project aimed at digital devices to a dominant language for enterprise applications and modern computing platforms, showcases its adaptability and enduring relevance. Its robust ecosystem, continual evolution and commitment to backward compatibility have solidified its place as one of the most popular and influential programming languages in the world.

Job postings for Java developers remain high, particularly for roles in backend development, cloud computing and large-scale enterprise applications. Java’s long-term stability and performance have made it a preferred choice for many organizations.

In 2023, Java remained one of the most widely used and popular programming languages among developers. Let’s examine several key indicators that reflect Java’s broad adoption and sustained relevance in the software development industry:

Java Popularity Rankings

• Tiobe Index: Java consistently ranked among the top three languages in the Tiobe Index, which measures the popularity of programming languages based on the number of skilled engineers, courses and third-party vendors.
  
  
• RedMonk Ranking: Java maintained a strong position in the RedMonk Programming Language Rankings, which considers data from GitHub and Stack Overflow to gauge language popularity and usage.
  
  
• Stack Overflow Developer Survey: In the annual Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Java was frequently listed among the top languages used by professional developers and those in enterprise environments.

Java 22: Key Features and Improvements

Java 22 brings a host of new features and improvements aimed at making Java development more efficient, secure, and scalable. Let’s explore all the latest additions:

⌘ Improved Pattern Matching

Enhanced pattern matching for switch expressions and statements. More sophisticated pattern types and the ability to use patterns in various contexts, providing more concise and readable code.

⌘ Record Patterns

Introduction of record patterns, which allow for more expressive and powerful data queries. This simplifies the process of working with records by enabling destructuring patterns directly in switch statements and expressions.

⌘ Sealed Interfaces and Classes

Continued refinement of sealed classes and interfaces, improving their usability and integration with existing code. Sealed types restrict which classes or interfaces can extend or implement them, enhancing the maintainability and security of codebases.

⌘ Virtual Threads (Project Loom)

There has been significant progress on Project Loom, which aims to bring lightweight, user-mode threads (virtual threads) to Java. Virtual threads make it easier to write high-throughput concurrent applications by reducing the overhead associated with traditional threads.

⌘ Foreign Function & Memory API (Project Panama)

Enhancements to the Foreign Function & Memory API, allowing Java programs to interoperate with native libraries and handle native memory more efficiently. These improvements simplify the task of calling C libraries and manipulating memory outside the Java heap.

⌘ Vector API (Project Panama)

Continued development of the Vector API, which enables the development of complex numerical algorithms that can be reliably compiled to optimal vector instructions on supported CPU architectures. This API is crucial for applications requiring high-performance computations, such as scientific and financial applications.

⌘ Improved Garbage Collection

Enhancements to garbage collectors like ZGC and Shenandoah, providing better performance and reduced latency. These improvements help in optimizing application performance and responsiveness.

⌘ Enhanced Security Features

Continued focus on improving security, including updates to cryptographic algorithms and protocols. Enhanced security manager and sandboxing capabilities to better protect applications from malicious code.

⌘ JDK Flight Recorder Enhancements

Improvements to JDK Flight Recorder, which allows developers to gather detailed runtime information about their applications for performance tuning and debugging.

⌘ Tooling and Libraries

Updates to various tools and libraries that ship with the JDK, including better support for modern development practices and integration with popular frameworks.

Java Industry Use Today

⏣ Enterprise Applications: Java continues to be a dominant language for enterprise-level applications, particularly for backend systems, due to its robustness, security features and scalability.

⏣ Android Development: While Kotlin has gained popularity, Java remains a foundational language for Android app development, with a vast amount of existing codebases and libraries written in Java.

⏣ Financial Services: Java is extensively used within the financial services industry for building high-performance trading systems, risk management solutions and other critical applications.

⏣ Big Data: Java has played a significant role in big data technologies. Apache Hadoop, Apache Kafka and Apache Spark, all popular big data frameworks, were either written in Java or had strong support for it.

The Bottom Line

Java’s extensive use within a wide range of industries, its robust ecosystem, active community and continuous evolution through regular updates and new features, solidified its position as a crucial and widely adopted programming language among developers worldwide.

How to Outsource Java Development Effectively? A Quick Guide

Outsourcing your Java development can be a strategic move for businesses seeking to leverage specialized skills, reduce costs and accelerate project timelines.

Begin by clearly defining your requirements, project scope and objectives. Detail the technical requirements, including the Java version, frameworks, libraries and tools to be used.

Choose the right outsourcing model. Classic models include project-based collaborations, dedicated project teams and staff augmentation arrangements.

Finally, select a reliable partner by investigating potential outsourcing agencies, reviewing their client portfolios and seeking references from past clients.

Find out more about the very competitive rates offered by Offshore IT below.